If you have not had time to peruse the redacted Bruce Ohr 302s (a FD-302 is the report an FBI agent enters into the FBI records system after interviewing a source) here you go. Your own reader’s digest version. These are presented chronologically. Note, there are two or three dates associated with each report. The first is the date that the interview took place. The other two is either the date the report was drafter and/or entered into the FBI computer system).
In reviewing these 302s there are some salient points I want to bring to your attention.
First, Christopher Steele was terminated as an FBI Confidential Human Source at the end of September 2016 for leaking to the press. That should have put an end to the relationship. Instead, the FBI starts using Bruce Ohr, the number four guy at the Department of Justice, as a cutout. Absolutely no justification for this kind of behavior by the FBI. It is, at a minimum, unethical and creates a real problem if any of the info collected from Ohr was to be used in a court proceeding. Something known as the “fruit of the poisonous tree” would kick in and the so-called evidence proffered by Ohr would be inadmissible or unusable because of Steele’s previous lies to the FBI.
Second, Glenn Simpson played a huge role in helping spread anti-Trump propaganda generated by Steele. In fact, it was Simpson’s insistence on Steele speaking with the press that got Steele terminated as an FBI source.
Third, the FBI knew by mid-December 2016 that Bruce Ohr’s wife, Nellie, was working with Simpson and Steele. This too should have set off alarm bells about the potential conflicts of interest and unethical conduct.
Fourth, evidence used ultimately against Paul Manafort came from Nellie Ohr. If this was not disclosed to Manafort’s attorney’s there is a likely Brady violation, which bolster’s Manafort’s prospects for an appeal.
Fifth, Steele and Simpson made several claims of fact about Russia ties to the Trump campaign that were later proven to be false. For example, stating that Michael Cohen was in Prague meeting the Russians. Important to note that Christopher Steele produced the final report of the so-called dossier bearing his name on 13 December 2016 yet this information was “passed” to Ohr one day prior to the date on the report.
Sixth, the “debriefing” of Ohr on 12 December 2016 also provided the foundation for going after Marina Butina. (See Sara Carter’s excellent update on this case here). The false information from Steele/Simpson via Bruce Ohr became the pretext for launching an investigation of Butina, who was working for a wealthy Russian banker, Alexander Torshin. This too turns out to have been a fabrication. I believe this provides Butina’s attorneys more ammunition for arguing prosecutorial misconduct and failure to provide critical Brady material.
Seventh, Ohr’s report that Simpson and Steele were communicating with the State Department, including Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland and Kathleen Kavalec makes it clear that State Department was used as a front to pass on info from the questionable Steele Dossier. This information was used in the FISA warrant and provided a seemingly reliable justification for spying on Carter Page (see the Page FISA warrant here.)
And finally, Fusion GPS, which was hired on behalf of the Clinton Campaign, was regularly communicating and coordinating with Obama’s Department of Justice and Department of State. This was a complete abuse of power.
Now, here is the summary of the 302s:
11/22/2016 (entered on 12/19/2006)
Ohr met with Steele in 2007 (not sure of date) at a conference.
July 30, 2016 Steele met Ohr for breakfast. Steele claimed Carter Page had met with Russian Sechin at a conference.
States that Glenn Simpson hired Steele and Ohr’s wife to dig up dirt on Trump’s connections to Russia.
Noted that reporting was going to the Clinton Campaign, Jonathan Winer and the FBI.
Ohr met with Steele in late September and was told about Alfa Bank ties to Trump and the Sergei Millian organization.
Noted that Steele was desperate to stop Trump and to thwart the Kremlin.
Ohr knew that Glenn Simpson and “others” were meeting with Victoria Nuland.
12/05/2016 (entered on 12/19/2016) (drafted on 12/12/2016)
Glenn Simpson directed Christopher Steele to speak to the press, including David Corn at Mother Jones.
Ohr provided FBI info on Manafort Chronology prepared by his wife.
12/12/2016 (entered on 12/19/2016) (Drafted on 12/14/2016)
Ohr states, per Simpson, that Cohen replaced Manafort and Page as the contact with the Russians.
Says that Cohen met with Russians in Prague.
Claims that Torshin is a Russian mobster and is trying to infiltrate the NRA and was pushing money to Trump.
Simpson opined that Sergei Millian was an SVR officer and a link to Trump.
12/20/2016 (entered on 12/27/2016)
Thumb drive with Nelly Ohr’s research passed to FBI.
1/23/2017 (entered on 1/31/2017) (drafted on 1/25/2017)
Simpson tells Ohr a source will be outed in the coming days.
Steele claims he met with a McCain staffer prior to October 2016
1/25/017 (entered on 1/27/2017)
Ohr spoke with Steele on 25 January 2017.
1/27/2017 (entered on 1/27/2017)
Steele told Ohr he wanted to keep lines of communication open.
02/06/2017 (entered on 02/08/2017)
Ohr contacted by Steele via What’sApp on 31 January 2017. Was reacting to firing of Sally Yates. Worried that if Ohr got fired he would have no one to talk to.
“Interviewing agents asked Ohr to ask Steele if he would be comfortable getting the name of an FBI agent.”
Ohr reminded agents that Steele had spoken several times prior to 2016 Presidential election with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec. Ohr identified one of the sources for Steele’s report as a Ukranian.
02/14/2017 (entered on 02/15/2017)
Ohr tells FBI about Steele’s concerns about his business. Identifies other lawyer (name blacked out) he is working with. Steele is preparing a proposal to re-establish his business releationship with the FBI.
05/08/2017 (entered on 05/10/2017)
Steele tells Ohr that he is worried about Comey’s upcoming testimony. Ohr tells Steele what Comey will say and Steele is “happy.”
Ohr said that Glenn Simpson would be visiting Steele soon.
Jonathan Winer was bringing a letter to Steele.
this is treason.
As an aside, note the similarities between Steele and Downer. Both carried some imprimatur of credibility based on prior government service, and popped up from no where and returned to relative obscurity after producing a document that was able to be immediately misused by others for the same purpose.
I’d wondered why anyone would want to involve Downer in these events, the man is a moron. However, one of his greatest strengths is producing wonderful well written reports, and to that extent would appear to have been chosen well.
It is, however despicable the whole story is, suggesting – and in its own way entertaining – that apparently the experienced gutter lady “Eff the EU” Nuland was also involved, probably bringing in her … regime change experience aquired in the Ukraine.
I wonder, did she ever say “Eff the Orange Man too”? Alas. Either way, more interesting to me is whether she also handed out cookies to Steel and/or Ohr?
https://orf.at/static/images/site/news/20131250/ukraine_klitschko_usa_body_a.4532409.jpg
As far as financial price of the Ohr & Steel operation goes, compared to the 5+ billion that were according to Nuland proudly poured into Ukraine to get Maidan and backstab Janukowytsch, hiring Steel to backstab somebody else – Trump – was probably way cheaper – i.e. ‘however illegal, it was more economic’.
That said, I detested Nuland well before this story for her Maidan stuntery and the “Eff the EU” arrogance, but then, she really made it easy even for an at time even more benevolent observer.
Thanks for sharing and elaborating.
But the big question that I would be interested to get opinions on is this:
when is all this stuff going to be revealed in a way that not even the readers of the WaPo NYT et al can deny thet the entire Russia collusion/interference story is false from beginning to end?
The longer the Russia-interfered-in-our-election-and-everybody-else’s lie is perpetrated, the closer we all get to nuclear annihilation. So it’s a matter of some importance.
Any ideas?
One that occurs to me is that nothing will happen — it will all dribble out over such a long time that nothing will ever be ever dramatic and simple enough to make an effect.
My other thought is that Trump & Co wants the big explosive revelations to hit the street next Mar/Apr so as to destroy the Dems in 2020.
But many of us have known the general outline of the conspiracy for a couple of years, but nothing big ever hits the street and the lies get dug in a little deeper every day that they’re not exploded.
PA
Unless there are a lot of indictments none of this will matter.
Pat,
re PA’s comment “My other thought is that Trump & Co wants the big explosive revelations to hit the street next Mar/Apr so as to destroy the Dems in 2020.”
I see PA’s suggestion actually as a possible outcome.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Trump sending Barr and other ‘like thinkers’ to hunt down any Democrat they can.
Why? Three points:
#1# For one as a petty part – as a revenge for Russiagate.
As the pretty petty “Mr. 11 days” Scaramucchi about formulated it: He’s not for stabbing someone in the back – he’d rather watch them in the face while stabbing them.
#2# Trump is a bad habit person.
Whenever something new comes up he tends to
chooseuse the maximum pressure approach … even if it doesn’t makes much sense it makes him feel good.Germany doesn’t pay enough percent of the GDP for the Bundeswehr in Trump’s view? Threat of exit from NATO! Threat of moving US troops to … Trumnp Camp in Poland! Penal taxes! For instance for … Sauerkraut (and German cars).
Never mind who’s paying for all the US bases in Germany (Hint: it is NOT the US.) But, and here we’re back at habits, he wants a … higher rent for US troops.
French wine? Since Trump asserts he doesn’t drink alkohol (since it would made him worse … as if he ain’t already remarkable sober) he claims that US wine ‘looks better than french wine’. Oh, does it? You’re sure you don’t suffer from achromatopsia?
The he suggests … probably for lack of a better idea … penal taxes (not just for wine but also for that french digital tax that incidentally hits chronic US tax evaders like Amazon and Goodle etc!)
#3# Then it would play a part as part of the next election campaign.
In that part Trump will, as always and with a lot of tweets and typos, very loudly lament that he is victim of a totally … unfairly unfair … witch hunt … by democratic … mostly non white … witches.
Well, afaik so far nobody has made Trump do the old school witch test by throwing him into the potomac river to see if he drowns or floats (guilty in either case).
And as far as I know nobody yet has tried to spray him with holy water also. And what about testing the effect of sunlight on de-oranged skin?
For a man who manages some 150 lies in three of his worse days there’s a lamentably high probability for PA’s scene to happen.
And if, the Obama D crew here suggests problematic moral and legal flexibility – I am far away from thinking that the chronic gerrymandering R’s are there in any way better, much less under Trump and Pence.
So, state department honchos–Victoria Nuland, Kavalec and Sally Yates (DOJ)–all had some knowledge of what was going on, right? And so did national security advisor Susan Rice.
Doesn’t that prove that Obama must have been in the loop?
I think it does.
Second, how much of Nellie Ohr’s russia research actually ended up in the steele dossier? I think that it is very unlikely that Chris Steele maintained his sketchy connections in Russia after the seismic political changes in the early 2000s. It may be that much of the dossier was created out of whole cloth by Nellie Ohr who was tasked to create a narrative that jibed with Simpson’s political objectives.
CP
They all gerrymander, all of them. Rs and Ds.
The ukraine is probably behind a great deal of the “info” the democrats and fib used..
“Never mind who’s paying for all the US bases in Germany ”
The USSR ceased to exist a couple decades ago and the Warsaw Pact before that. Why are we defending Germany at all? Meanwhile in Germany, don’t speak badly on the internet or use a psuedonym while you do.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/08/germany-hundreds-probed-over-anti-migrant-comments-on-facebook/
To Answer Your Question Patrick…Yes there is..”Something’A “Never Trump” Operation right here in the United States and NOT Connected to Russia..or for any reason other than “Political”….You Don’t Have to dig DEEP..Just follow….
The Operators…who Paid them..Known Data..and How They pushed Everyones Buttons..with Two Words…”Russian Collusion..” EVERY BODYS..
Remind me why we need to hire more women to eliminate institutional sexism? Interesting common denominator among these named persons. Or is it something in the water.
Clinton via Biden to Son Biden to Nellie Ohr?